Why am I the weird one? At my local grocery shop no one else seems to buy groceries for more than one meal at a time. And it’s not even enough for an entire meal. I see people buying some dried meat, a couple beers, and a yogurt. When I roll up with an overflowing hand basket I get vibed every time by the checkout lady.
Last night I was actually excited to see someone’s large load. (I wanted to make friends!) She had grapes and carrots and tomatoes! I was so intrigued. Little to my surprise she spoke no German and stumbled through the checkout line with only her English. Poor thing. What a weirdo.
European consumers are very different than Americans, obviously. (Costco couldn’t survive here.) But the main difference is the circulation of funds. Hardly any businesses accept credit cards in Berlin, not even in the touristy areas. Everything is cash. Debt does not exist. I’m dumbfounded by how much sense this makes. Everything is done via bank transfers. Rent, doctor bills, everything is direct debited.
Consumerism is defined very differently here too. There is one major department store and it has a few locations throughout the city. However, shopping is not a major pastime. People buy in small quantities, they bring their own bags to the stores, or they buy a plastic bag for 5 cents each. Most bags are even canvas. That’s a pretty responsible consumer. I have a very bad habit using credit, which I defend as necessary at times. But I am left with debt and no cash. And it’s making it difficult to fit in here. I can’t help but see the connection to the American lag in circulation of funds that has spiraled into an international problem. Damn weirdos.
